Pirelli has concluded its investigation into the tyre failures that ended Lance Stroll and Max Verstappen’s races in Baku.
Both drivers sustained race-ending left-rear failures along the start/finish straight during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which pitched them into the wall at high speed.
Speaking after the race, Pirelli’s head of F1 Mario Isola stated that he could “exclude that failures were due to tyre wear” and suggested debris could be to blame.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the Italian company established that following an analysis into the incidents, it found “there was no production or quality defect on any of the tyres; nor was there any sign of fatigue or delamination”.
It concluded that the failures were due to “a circumferential break on the inner sidewall, which can be related to the running conditions of the tyre, in spite of the prescribed starting parameters (minimum pressure and maximum blanket temperature) having been followed.”
Pirelli has submitted its report to the teams and Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA.
Red Bull also released a statement on Tuesday, asserting that it was compliant with Pirelli’s guidelines throughout the weekend.
“We have worked closely with Pirelli and the FIA during their investigation into Max’s tyre failure on lap 47 of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and can confirm that no car fault was found,” it read.
“We adhered to Pirelli’s tyre parameters at all times and will continue to follow their guidance. We are grateful that following the weekend’s high speed impacts no drivers were injured.”
In an attempt to stop such an incident from happening again, Pirelli and the FIA have agreed a new set of the protocols, which includes an upgraded technical directive that has already been distributed.
This directive will monitor the operating conditions during a race weekend. In addition, both Pirelli and the FIA “will consider any other appropriate actions” going forward.
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